A weblog examining sexual politics in higher education and beyond.

The sexual regulations beat goes on in university land; it is everywhere and nowhere. Seldom commented on and tacitly accepted.

So the dankprofessor now goes to Oklahoma, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences. Here is their policy along with my comments.

CONSENSUAL SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS POLICY

Rationale

The University’s educational mission is promoted by professionalism in faculty-student relationships. Professionalism is fostered by an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect.

Now the dankprofessor can relate to this- professionalism fostered by mutual trust and respect. Only if such were the case. Mutual trust and respect is an oxymoron as to what now follows.

Actions of faculty members and students that harm this atmosphere undermine professionalism and hinder fulfillment of the University’s educational mission. Trust and respect are diminished when those in positions of authority abuse, or appear to abuse, their power. Those who abuse, or appear to abuse, their power in such a context violate their duty to the University community.

Of course abusers do violate their duty to the university community. The problem is that the people who create and promulgate these policies are abusers since they systematically violate the autonomy and privacy of students, professors and staff.

Faculty members exercise power over students, whether in giving them praise or criticism, evaluating them, making recommendations for further studies or their future employment, or conferring any other benefits on them. Amorous relationships between faculty members and students are wrong when the faculty member has professional responsibility for the student. Such situations greatly increase the chances that the faculty member will abuse his or her power and sexually exploit the student. Voluntary consent by the student in such a relationship is suspect, given the fundamentally asymmetric nature of the relationship.

Axiomatic here, ignore what students say; they can’t consent so their input is of no value re consent.

Moreover, other students and faculty may be affected by such unprofessional behavior because it places the faculty member in a position to favor or advance one student’s interest at the expense of others and implicitly makes obtaining benefits contingent on amorous or sexual favors.

Implicitly is the keyword here. But nothing elaborated on about implicitly. What I think it means is when an administrator or whomever believes such is the case, it is the case. No need to prove anything; this is what a person(s) believes. Now if the student and the prof make it explicit

that there were no illicit benefits; such does not count; can’t take the student seriously. Now, is this mutual trust and respect?

Therefore, the University will view it as unethical if faculty members engage in amorous relations with students enrolled in their classes or subject to their supervision, even when both parties appear to have consented to the relationship.

Again, no iota of mutual trust or respect. Everyone, almost everyone, is suspect, except of course the administrators enforcing the policy.

Like this:

Related

Whenever I read about students/employees having no say in consensual dating with a professor/teaching assistant, or supervisor at work, I am reminded of Susan B. Anthony’s trial. She was arrested for voting for Ulysses Grant, in the 1872 election for president. As a woman, her testimony wasn’t completely allowed, by biased judge Ward Hunt. Although convicted, Susan B. won on appeal, not only for herself, but also for the young men who had registered her to vote, in a Rochester Barber Shop.
When College Administrators or Human Resources Managers at work dismiss the student’s/lower status employee’s claim that the dating was consensual, they are acting just like Judge Hunt, in their bias! Instead of gender, the status of the person involved is grounds to ignore his/her testimony, as though he/she was a young child!
Again, open defiance, in statement and practice, is the only way to fight these draconian policies!!

Blog reports on and examines sexual politics in higher education with a focus on issues regarding sexual consent, particularly the attempted repression of student-professor consensual sexual relationships. Thie blog reflects a commitment to the values of liberty, freedom of association, freedom of speech and privacy; such are values that are under increasing attack, both intellectually and policy wise in all too many universities which have embraced a culture of comfort in the framework of a velvet totalitarianism.

In addition, the blog at times will go beyond the university and sexual politics to issues that merit our attention. Whatever the issue the dankprofessor blog will not be constrained by any ideological orthodoxy, sexual or political correctness. Hopefully, this blog will bring together persons who value liberty and freedom even in university life.

The dankprofessor is Barry M. Dank, an emeritus professor of sociology at California State University, Long Beach, where he taught students and engaged in various forms of professorial dissidence for some 35 years.. In his earlier years, he wrote and pontificated on issues related to homosexuality and specifically on coming out and the development of a gay identity. In 1977 he became famous/infamous for his LA Times article on the anti-homosexual campaign of Anita Bryant. Later he focused on interracial relationships and on student-professor relationships. He is the Founding Editor of SEXUALITY AND CULTURE, published by Springer NYC. During his 35 years as a professor and four years as an in-residence grad student at the University of Wisconsin, he openly engaged in propinquitous (as in propinquity) dating, dating students and having many wonderful friendships with many of his students and their families. During his early years in academia he married the daughter of a professor in the Sociology Department at the University of Wisconsin. Presently he is living in the artist village of Tubac in southern Arizona.

The dankprofessor welcomes input from blog readers. Confidential emails should be sent to him directly at- dankprofessor@msn.com The dankprofessor will respond to all personal emails.

Leads on relevant stories will be greatly appreciated.

Guest commentaries should be sent to the same email address for consideration for blog publication.

The dankprofessor is available for campus/class presentations on sexual politics in higher education.